** I do not own any of the following characters. They are owned by or affiliated with WWE.**
Author's note: Thanks for the reviews! Keep 'em coming! :-)
* * *
Chris turned off the faucet and stepped out of the shower. It was almost time to leave for the airport and he hadn't finished packing yet. Why did he always have to leave everything to last minute?
He quickly dried himself off and threw on a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt. He strolled back into the bathroom. Chris gingerly wiped the steam away from the center of the mirror with the palm of his left hand. Shit. He was so used to wearing his wedding band he had never thought to take it off. Stroking it with his thumb, he walked out of the bathroom and into the master bedroom. The room was empty now, except for a snack table with a treasure chest shaped jewelry box sitting on top of it. The box was Chris', and within it were all the precious pieces of jewelry that had been given to him throughout his life. He opened the lid, then slid the ring off of his finger with ease. He stared at for a moment, watching the light glint off of its finished surface. He looked at the inscription etched inside. "Every moment I'm with you puts a smile on my heart," it read. Chris closed his eyes and clutched the ring within his hand. It was time to let her go. "Damn you," he mumbled to himself, tossing the ring into the jewelry box. He slammed the lid shut, and hurried back into the bathroom to finish getting ready.
* * *
"I left her the number right?" Chris asked, fastening his seat belt.
"Relax," Adam said with a smile, "Allie will take care of it. Everything will be set up and waiting for you when you get home next week." Chris gave him a look of concern. "She can handle me, so bedroom furniture shouldn't be a problem."
Chris couldn't help but laugh. Adam giggled softly, shaking his head. "Man, you worry too much."
"It's not that, I just feel bad asking her to wait around for the deliveries and all."
"She's more than happy to do it. She wants you to get back to normal as much as I do." Adam patted Chris on the shoulder. Chris smiled. Adam was such a good friend; he didn't know what he'd do without him.
The plane landed in San Francisco at 11:00 o'clock Saturday morning. Once at the hotel, Chris unpacked his things and thought about his itinerary. He had the house show tonight in Sacramento; the house show tomorrow in San Francisco; RAW in Las Vegas and a house show in Reno on Tuesday. After changing his clothes, he headed to the gym in the hotel for a quick work out and bumped into Jason in the elevator.
"Hey." Jason said as Chris stepped onto the elevator. "Goin' to the gym?"
"Yup. You?"
Jason nodded and folded his arms across his chest, not looking in Chris' direction. Chris had noticed that Jason had been acting strange lately. He wondered what, if anything, was wrong. "Everything ok with you these days?"
Jason shifted nervously on his feet. "Yeah. I just have a lot on my mind lately."
They both stepped off the elevator and walked in to the gym. Rob and Tommy were over by the free weights. Chris walked towards them as Jason disappeared to the other side. Chris knew something was bugging him, but he didn't press the issue.
"Hey you made it early." Rob teased.
Chris smirked at him. "Wiseass." The three of them laughed. Chris joined them in their workout. He worked out alone most of the time, due to his rigorous schedule, but enjoyed working out with Rob when he could because he was funny. It also didn't hurt that they had similar workout routines. Tommy left shortly after Chris' arrival in order to make a phone call.
"Dwayne's having a little get together tomorrow night." Chris said, placing a dumbbell back onto the rack. "Wanna come?"
Rob smiled. "I'd love to go, but I've some errands to take care of between shows."
"Aw c'mon." Chris slapped Rob's arm. "You haven't hung out with us in ages. You know how his 'little get togethers' are!" Chris got all excited. "LOTS of food and even more alcohol." Rob made a face. "Sorry, but you get the picture." Chris had forgotten that Rob had cleaned up his act.
Rob's dimples grew deeper as his smile grew wider. "Chris, man, I can't." Chris showed him an exaggerated pout. "Okay, okay, I'll come along."
"Great!" Chris smiled. "We're all meeting after the show tomorrow night in the parking lot around 8:00, just in case I don't see you before then."
"I'll be there." Rob said as he put his set of dumbbells on the floor.
* * *
Chris was the only one left in the locker room Sunday evening after the show. He had been on the phone, coordinating the meeting with Kurt, Adam, Trish and Matt in the parking lot of the arena. They were all staying at the same hotel in San Francisco, but they were driving in from a house show in a different town. Chris was excited about seeing Dwayne. They were good friends and spoke often, but they hadn't seen each other since Summerslam.
With a sigh, Chris picked up his bag and made his way out of the locker room. He wasn't sure which was the quickest way to the parking lot so he turned down a long corridor that was lined with offices and various rooms on either side. He heard voices as he walked down the corridor. Slowing down he recognized Paul's voice.
"Don't give me that shit!" Paul's voice bellowed from behind a closed door somewhere.
"I can't take this anymore!" a woman shouted. Chris heard a door unlatch, so he ducked through an open doorway into a darkened room. A moment later, he heard a door slam forcefully followed by quick footsteps. Peering out, Chris saw Stephanie trotting down the corridor. He winced as she slammed her body into the fire exit and literally ran out of the building. Chris was concerned for a moment, but figured she'd be all right.
Stepping back into the hall, Chris walked towards the exit where Stephanie had just gone. He slowed as he passed the room where he perceived Paul to be. No sooner had he walked passed then Paul opened the door and stepped out of the room. Chris gave him a dirty look.
"What the fuck are you looking at?" Paul grumbled, then turned and walked in the opposite direction. Chris couldn't stand the man. He couldn't wait to have another feud with him so he could smack him around a little.
"Hey!" Trish shouted from inside a crowded minivan outside the arena. Chris smiled and waved as he walked over to it.
"Everybody's here?" Chris asked. Trish nodded. He looked passed her and saw Adam in the driver's seat. "I'll follow you with my car." He said to Adam. Chris walked passed a few empty rows of parking spaces to his rental. Rob was leaning against it. "Give me a lift?" He said, sporting his dimples.
Chris unlocked the doors. "Of course, hop in."
Dwayne was waiting for them at La Cantina, a Mexican Restaurant not too far from the arena. After several minutes of hugging and play fighting, they all went inside. Dwayne had a habit of making a big deal about everything. That's how he did things. Instead of meeting his friends at some bar, he made reservations for them and had a room sectioned off so they would be able to hang out by themselves. Dwayne loved his fans, but since he was on such a tight schedule, he wanted to spend this free time he'd manage to get with his friends and only his friends.
The room was small but cozy. Some appetizers were spread out on the table along with a menu of the evening's selections. Dwayne thanked everybody for showing up and apologized for wanting to make more money than anyone there does. They all burst into laughter; some threw crumpled napkins at him. As the waitress took their orders, Kurt disappeared. He came back a moment later with a bottle of tequila. He held it over his head proudly.
"Let the games begin!" He shouted.
* * *
Chris was glad that Rob had come along. He wasn't smashed, but he was no condition to drive. Rob had been nice enough to drive him back to the hotel. Chris knew that Rob had held on to the car keys when he left Chris in the lobby of the hotel. He smiled to himself, knowing that Rob was looking out for him.
Not ready for the night to end, Chris wandered into the bar/restaurant on the second floor of the hotel. It was open until 2AM so he figured he'd stop in and have a few more drinks. At least he wasn't thinking about Jessica for the moment. He sat at the bar and ordered a drink. Stephanie was sitting halfway down the bar, staring off into space.
"What are you doing here?" Chris asked as he made his way over to her.
Stephanie scowled at him. "What, a girl can't have a drink anymore?" He could tell she had been there for a while. He looked at the empty seat next to her. She waived her hand at him in a dismissing manner so he sat down.
They didn't speak at first. He watched her tapping her nails on the bar. It was starting to grate on his nerves. He reached out and firmly put his hand on hers.
"Stop that." He demanded.
She gave him a dirty look and then they both burst out laughing. "Ugh." She sighed as she folded her arms and leaned them on the bar. "I just want to go home." She mumbled as she placed her forehead on her arm.
Chris sipped his drink. "What's going on, if you don't mind me asking'?"
Stephanie took a deep breath and reached for her purse. After rifling through it, she pulled out a piece of hotel stationary.
It read: "I'm heading out of here early and I'm taking the car. I'll see you tomorrow."
Chris read it and looked back at her, confused. "I found that on the bed in my room when I got here earlier." She snatched it out of Chris' hand and crumpled it up. "Bastard left me stranded here!"
Chris couldn't help but choke back a giggle at first. Stephanie had a lot of money, so it wasn't like she was really stranded. He tried to remain serious, she was obviously really angry.
"Where'd he go?" Chris asked politely, fiddling with his stirrer.
Stephanie held her drink in her hand, staring at it blindly as she swirled the liquid inside the glass. "I don't know."
Author's note: Thanks for the reviews! Keep 'em coming! :-)
* * *
Chris turned off the faucet and stepped out of the shower. It was almost time to leave for the airport and he hadn't finished packing yet. Why did he always have to leave everything to last minute?
He quickly dried himself off and threw on a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt. He strolled back into the bathroom. Chris gingerly wiped the steam away from the center of the mirror with the palm of his left hand. Shit. He was so used to wearing his wedding band he had never thought to take it off. Stroking it with his thumb, he walked out of the bathroom and into the master bedroom. The room was empty now, except for a snack table with a treasure chest shaped jewelry box sitting on top of it. The box was Chris', and within it were all the precious pieces of jewelry that had been given to him throughout his life. He opened the lid, then slid the ring off of his finger with ease. He stared at for a moment, watching the light glint off of its finished surface. He looked at the inscription etched inside. "Every moment I'm with you puts a smile on my heart," it read. Chris closed his eyes and clutched the ring within his hand. It was time to let her go. "Damn you," he mumbled to himself, tossing the ring into the jewelry box. He slammed the lid shut, and hurried back into the bathroom to finish getting ready.
* * *
"I left her the number right?" Chris asked, fastening his seat belt.
"Relax," Adam said with a smile, "Allie will take care of it. Everything will be set up and waiting for you when you get home next week." Chris gave him a look of concern. "She can handle me, so bedroom furniture shouldn't be a problem."
Chris couldn't help but laugh. Adam giggled softly, shaking his head. "Man, you worry too much."
"It's not that, I just feel bad asking her to wait around for the deliveries and all."
"She's more than happy to do it. She wants you to get back to normal as much as I do." Adam patted Chris on the shoulder. Chris smiled. Adam was such a good friend; he didn't know what he'd do without him.
The plane landed in San Francisco at 11:00 o'clock Saturday morning. Once at the hotel, Chris unpacked his things and thought about his itinerary. He had the house show tonight in Sacramento; the house show tomorrow in San Francisco; RAW in Las Vegas and a house show in Reno on Tuesday. After changing his clothes, he headed to the gym in the hotel for a quick work out and bumped into Jason in the elevator.
"Hey." Jason said as Chris stepped onto the elevator. "Goin' to the gym?"
"Yup. You?"
Jason nodded and folded his arms across his chest, not looking in Chris' direction. Chris had noticed that Jason had been acting strange lately. He wondered what, if anything, was wrong. "Everything ok with you these days?"
Jason shifted nervously on his feet. "Yeah. I just have a lot on my mind lately."
They both stepped off the elevator and walked in to the gym. Rob and Tommy were over by the free weights. Chris walked towards them as Jason disappeared to the other side. Chris knew something was bugging him, but he didn't press the issue.
"Hey you made it early." Rob teased.
Chris smirked at him. "Wiseass." The three of them laughed. Chris joined them in their workout. He worked out alone most of the time, due to his rigorous schedule, but enjoyed working out with Rob when he could because he was funny. It also didn't hurt that they had similar workout routines. Tommy left shortly after Chris' arrival in order to make a phone call.
"Dwayne's having a little get together tomorrow night." Chris said, placing a dumbbell back onto the rack. "Wanna come?"
Rob smiled. "I'd love to go, but I've some errands to take care of between shows."
"Aw c'mon." Chris slapped Rob's arm. "You haven't hung out with us in ages. You know how his 'little get togethers' are!" Chris got all excited. "LOTS of food and even more alcohol." Rob made a face. "Sorry, but you get the picture." Chris had forgotten that Rob had cleaned up his act.
Rob's dimples grew deeper as his smile grew wider. "Chris, man, I can't." Chris showed him an exaggerated pout. "Okay, okay, I'll come along."
"Great!" Chris smiled. "We're all meeting after the show tomorrow night in the parking lot around 8:00, just in case I don't see you before then."
"I'll be there." Rob said as he put his set of dumbbells on the floor.
* * *
Chris was the only one left in the locker room Sunday evening after the show. He had been on the phone, coordinating the meeting with Kurt, Adam, Trish and Matt in the parking lot of the arena. They were all staying at the same hotel in San Francisco, but they were driving in from a house show in a different town. Chris was excited about seeing Dwayne. They were good friends and spoke often, but they hadn't seen each other since Summerslam.
With a sigh, Chris picked up his bag and made his way out of the locker room. He wasn't sure which was the quickest way to the parking lot so he turned down a long corridor that was lined with offices and various rooms on either side. He heard voices as he walked down the corridor. Slowing down he recognized Paul's voice.
"Don't give me that shit!" Paul's voice bellowed from behind a closed door somewhere.
"I can't take this anymore!" a woman shouted. Chris heard a door unlatch, so he ducked through an open doorway into a darkened room. A moment later, he heard a door slam forcefully followed by quick footsteps. Peering out, Chris saw Stephanie trotting down the corridor. He winced as she slammed her body into the fire exit and literally ran out of the building. Chris was concerned for a moment, but figured she'd be all right.
Stepping back into the hall, Chris walked towards the exit where Stephanie had just gone. He slowed as he passed the room where he perceived Paul to be. No sooner had he walked passed then Paul opened the door and stepped out of the room. Chris gave him a dirty look.
"What the fuck are you looking at?" Paul grumbled, then turned and walked in the opposite direction. Chris couldn't stand the man. He couldn't wait to have another feud with him so he could smack him around a little.
"Hey!" Trish shouted from inside a crowded minivan outside the arena. Chris smiled and waved as he walked over to it.
"Everybody's here?" Chris asked. Trish nodded. He looked passed her and saw Adam in the driver's seat. "I'll follow you with my car." He said to Adam. Chris walked passed a few empty rows of parking spaces to his rental. Rob was leaning against it. "Give me a lift?" He said, sporting his dimples.
Chris unlocked the doors. "Of course, hop in."
Dwayne was waiting for them at La Cantina, a Mexican Restaurant not too far from the arena. After several minutes of hugging and play fighting, they all went inside. Dwayne had a habit of making a big deal about everything. That's how he did things. Instead of meeting his friends at some bar, he made reservations for them and had a room sectioned off so they would be able to hang out by themselves. Dwayne loved his fans, but since he was on such a tight schedule, he wanted to spend this free time he'd manage to get with his friends and only his friends.
The room was small but cozy. Some appetizers were spread out on the table along with a menu of the evening's selections. Dwayne thanked everybody for showing up and apologized for wanting to make more money than anyone there does. They all burst into laughter; some threw crumpled napkins at him. As the waitress took their orders, Kurt disappeared. He came back a moment later with a bottle of tequila. He held it over his head proudly.
"Let the games begin!" He shouted.
* * *
Chris was glad that Rob had come along. He wasn't smashed, but he was no condition to drive. Rob had been nice enough to drive him back to the hotel. Chris knew that Rob had held on to the car keys when he left Chris in the lobby of the hotel. He smiled to himself, knowing that Rob was looking out for him.
Not ready for the night to end, Chris wandered into the bar/restaurant on the second floor of the hotel. It was open until 2AM so he figured he'd stop in and have a few more drinks. At least he wasn't thinking about Jessica for the moment. He sat at the bar and ordered a drink. Stephanie was sitting halfway down the bar, staring off into space.
"What are you doing here?" Chris asked as he made his way over to her.
Stephanie scowled at him. "What, a girl can't have a drink anymore?" He could tell she had been there for a while. He looked at the empty seat next to her. She waived her hand at him in a dismissing manner so he sat down.
They didn't speak at first. He watched her tapping her nails on the bar. It was starting to grate on his nerves. He reached out and firmly put his hand on hers.
"Stop that." He demanded.
She gave him a dirty look and then they both burst out laughing. "Ugh." She sighed as she folded her arms and leaned them on the bar. "I just want to go home." She mumbled as she placed her forehead on her arm.
Chris sipped his drink. "What's going on, if you don't mind me asking'?"
Stephanie took a deep breath and reached for her purse. After rifling through it, she pulled out a piece of hotel stationary.
It read: "I'm heading out of here early and I'm taking the car. I'll see you tomorrow."
Chris read it and looked back at her, confused. "I found that on the bed in my room when I got here earlier." She snatched it out of Chris' hand and crumpled it up. "Bastard left me stranded here!"
Chris couldn't help but choke back a giggle at first. Stephanie had a lot of money, so it wasn't like she was really stranded. He tried to remain serious, she was obviously really angry.
"Where'd he go?" Chris asked politely, fiddling with his stirrer.
Stephanie held her drink in her hand, staring at it blindly as she swirled the liquid inside the glass. "I don't know."